Find & fill the skill gaps due to COVID-19 school closures “ Start the school year strong!

We can all agree it’s been an unusual few months dealing with COVID-19 and it’s not looking like life will be back to what we knew as “normal” for the next school year. It’s an uneasy feeling to not be able to plan for all these changes, and while kids are on summer break, we may hope they don’t feel the impact of the schedule changes, but they do.

Not only do they feel the general tension in the air and bizarre summer schedule (like fewer vacations, sports, camps, trips to the movie theatre or out to eat, etc.), but they are also likely feeling uneasiness about their schooling this fall.

Current stressors for your child:

1. They know the school closures had some effect on what they learned and how they learned it. They likely have a few skill gaps from the end of the last year and they may be worried about what that means going forward and whether they will continue suffering from that feeling of “not knowing enough”.
2. On top of ending the year on a subdued note, they now have enjoyed summer break without any schooling. However, that may leave them worried they are losing some of the knowledge they did have last year. This may not sound like something your child normally thinks about, but this fear is lingering behind any lack of confidence about their math skills or potential advancement.
3. They’re unsure what the upcoming school year will look like. Will schools open or will it go back to online learning? Will school buses run? Can I see my friends? Will I have to wear a mask? Will there be recess?

While we can’t say with certainty what the new school year will look like for your child, we can offer you some solutions for your math stresses!

Solutions to these stressors:

1. Have your child take our COVID-Recovery Assessment!
   • Find out exactly which skill gaps may exist from the second half of last school year and do it risk-free. This way you can know with certainty where your student is at and have a plan of attack to address any holes that may exist. Now through the end of the month, we’re offering this assessment for free, online or in-center. Just call or email to schedule (expires 7/31/2020).
2. Enroll at Mathnasium of Littleton, starting this summer!
   • While our program is wonderful through the school year because we can help your child with their homework and prepare for tests, some of our favorite times with them is during breaks from school. This is because we get to focus purely on filling skill gaps, which may not sound like fun, but this is when kids’ confidence soars! When we are able to cover the exact skills they are missing and teach at the individual pace they need, they begin to truly understand the math.
     • As Larry Martinek, Founder of Mathnasium, says, “Children don’t hate math. They hate being confused and intimidated by math. With understanding comes passion. And with passion comes growth -a treasure is unlocked.” Summer gives us the most time to do this because we’re not competing with schoolwork and school stresses, so don’t wait.
3. Outside of Mathnasium, here’s some fun card games to reinforce math skills– they will forget they’re even doing math and they will be building confidence and competence!
   • https://www.mathnasium.com/littleton/news/fun-card-games-to-reinforce-math-skills